CAÑON CITY, Colo. (KDVR) — The Fremont County man who killed a mother bear and her two cubs and then sawed off their heads and paws has reached a plea deal.
Paul Stromberg, 53, agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of willful destruction of wildlife and a misdemeanor offense of failure to properly dress wildlife.
He was originally arrested on Sept. 30, 2023, on multiple felonies, most of which were dismissed at his Monday court hearing.
The agreement allows for a deferred judgment on the felony count, meaning if he completes probation, his felony charge will be expunged but not sealed.
The agreement recommends two years of probation pending a presentencing investigation by a probation officer and a $1,000 donation to Operation Game Thief, a program operated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife that pays rewards to citizens who turn in poachers.
An anonymous informant told CPW officers that Stromberg talked about the bears falling out of a tree when he shot them and said it was “epic.”
The informant told officers that Stromberg said the bears killed chickens at his house and in return, he “took out her whole (expletive) family,” and made a reference to the claws from the bears being removed.
